Lifted Lab

Bernard Gwilliam and the Quantum Modernism marks a shift in Ziegler’s work. Known to be prolific in both his gallery exhibitions and murals worldwide, this exhibition presents a cohesive group of paintings and sculptures dedicated to a yearlong investigation, into both formal properties and his own identity. While the work is distinctly recognizable, there is a clear formal evolution, marked by the tight color palette and often highly detailed and refined brushstrokes. Ziegler’s newest canvases, which he considers open source allegories, are a form of modern history painting. Laden with symbols, cultural and historic references, citations to literary and art history these rich and textured paintings, draw from philosophy, mathematics and mythology.

Ziegler’s theory of Quantum Modernism builds on the philosophy of French structuralist Roland Barthes who understood the text or artwork as limited by focusing on the creator’s influence. Quantum Modernism accepts that any given audience has a near in nite amount of information that is rapidly accessible, thus the context behind a given artwork is provided by the audience themselves, rather than the artist. As Barthes notes in the essay The Death of the Author, “the unity in a text lies not in its origins, but in its destination.” Ziegler’s works are so layered, that a single viewer can understand a single artwork in multiple ways from different perspectives simultaneously. Concurrently, the pseudonym Bernard Gwilliam, which fuses the name of Ziegler’s grandfather with his mother’s maiden name, further indicates the artist’s attempt to remove his own name and influence from the search for meaning.

We are excited to see Infamous JeanClaude grinding on a new body of work for his upcoming collaborative show, "Trinity of Oneness," in Charlotte, NC withCedric Umoja and Dogon Krigga. Thanks to the artist for spending time catching up with us.

You've been on a hiatus from making work. How has your style or practice evolved since your last show?

Yeah. I was creating sporadically throughout last year, but this was the first year in a very long time that I didn't have a consistent flow with my art. I was dealing with some depression and was uninspired. These two issues had me in a choke hold for over a year. It felt so weird because I have thousands of ideas in my head but I was super unmotivated. It was a very awkward and tough period.

Once I climbed out of my depression and got my health issues under control it was like a windshield wiper cleared my brain and I was about to create more freely. My style has become a lot more loose, especially my graphic work, but I still have my elements of abstraction and clean lines in my pieces. I'm pretty excited to see how my style has unfolded/will unfold since last year.

I also haven't done a group or solo show in about two or three years because I have been doing more commissions for musicians and clothing lines.

How does your studio practice vary when you're painting versus when you are making digital work?

When I'm painting, it's usually just me with the canvas, paints and music blasting in my headphones. I probably got some incense going and my snacks near. I'm not really on my phone or anything when I'm working on paintings. I usually like to zone out and really take in the pieces that I'm working on. If you've ever seen that scene in the movie Basquiat where he plays the same song over and over but is working on like seven big pieces at once, the feeling is like that but a lot of smaller pieces and a smaller studio space.

Working digitally is similar but a little more free. I can be mobile with my work so I can work in a library or a coffee shop. When I need breaks I might surf the internet or check up on social media here and there. It's a little more sporadic but I have moments just like painting when I'll stare at the composition for a long time or maneuvering one piece 50 times until I find the right space for it to fit the composition.

Cedric Umoja is like a spiritual advisor and mentor to me. We're always diving deep in conversation on how to expand our craft and become better alchemists to speak to the masses. We've always talked about collabing over the years but we both have been busy, so this was perfect timing for both of us. I haven't formally met Dogon Krigga yet but I have been following his work for a few years now. It's interesting between us because we seem to fall in the same frequency a lot of times with our work, which is dope. That's why we all came together for this show. We all have similar themes and ideals but we show them in different ways. It was only right that we came together for a group show to get that good energy and vibes triple the source to the people.

Your work tends to be a narrative for your personal philosophy and spiritual experiences. Are there any specific themes present in this new body of work?

This new body of work is based around past life regressions, my ancestors, my heritage, life/death and the future. There's been a lot of important people passing in 2016 and I believe that is telling us there's going to be a big shift. I believe artists and musicians are going to be a part of the big shift of consciousness and I'm just trying to get people thinking like the artists that are in this show. This show is called "Trinity of Oneness." This is saying that we are all connected in some form and we are drawn to those who understand this idea.

It is also balance: me, myself and I / Ego, Self, Understanding : Trinity

Infamous JeanClaude, "Golden Aura Angel," digital collage

What's your view on collective consciousness?

I believe are all connected. We just have to take ourselves outside of religion, tradition, school conditioning, loyalty ( by fear), etc. in order find our purpose, which will link you with like minds. It becomes a continuous cycle until it spreads into universal love. You just have to think, "What is my purpose? What is my gift?" and use that gift to help others unlock and understand their gifts.

We are also entering into a thought realm of manifesting and creating. Feminine energy, I believe, will become prominent and will start balancing out the masculine energy that has been dominating our society for a long time. This is where the creatives will step in, bringing the half into a whole, helping push unity/oneness.

Favorite studio snack?

My go-to is anything gummy. Gummy, bears, gummy worms, etc. (Even though my brother showed me a video on how they are made and I probably should stop eating them.... but Ive been addicted since birth haha).My secondary choices that usually end up going with the gummy snacks are plain Lays, pretzels, water, and apple juice.

"Ah Um, the title of a Charles Mingus album, is the sound one makes before introducing themselves to a large audience. With this, his second solo show, Fonseca will present his developing series of single- and mutli-plane vortex paintings.

Rich Fonseca is a self-taught painter and illustrator who uses geometry and color to convey how memories change, distort, and fracture with the passage of time. The placement of color arranges pattern over rhythm, utilizing op-art techniques to convey different layers of perception and interpretation. He lives and works in San Francisco." -Luna Rienne

Bigfoot was kind enough to donate a hand-painted skate deck to in support of SF Skate Club's upcoming Fundraiser. SFSC is a non-profit that is home for the Eduskate after school program, where middle school kids come after class to get mentoring, homework help, and skate time with a Pro, Shawn Connolley. This program is run by Shawn and his incredible wife, Thuy. It's a true pillar for San Francisco community and youth.All proceeds for their fundraiser will directly benefit Eduskate.

"Caledonia Curry — better known as Swoon — and Monica Canilao, the artists in the current show, call their joint project “Witch-Wife.” The phrase is an antiquated name for a witch. More provocatively, it is the title of a short poem, published in 1917, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Written in the melancholy years just before American entry into World War I, the poem tells of a beautiful and beguiling, yet untamable and unattainable, woman. (Unattainable, at least, to men — the poem has been read as a lesbian anthem.)

The exhibition touches on many other themes: motherhood, time, poverty, myth. Far from any linear narrative, however, it tumbles them together with the illogic of a dream. That’s not a bad thing: The best dreams are full of surprise twists and mysterious turns, which can be frightful, illuminating or amusing (often all of these). Half the gallery is a double-height space that Swoon and Canilao have packed with precariously towering sculptural works, stitched and tacked together from antique fabrics and remnant objects, building to immense forms that might be female giants in Victorian dress. This is where the exhibition really takes off, launching us into a dark landscape of free association and vaguely cinematic fantasy.

The challenge of authentically describing dreams or evincing the dream state has frustrated the most skillful of artists throughout history. Manifestations, perhaps, of the collective unconscious, dreams are, at the same time, unique to the dreamer. For several years Swoon has managed a project she calls “Dream Reliquary,” a website where hundreds of contributors have left descriptions of their dreams. By incorporating that bank of fantasy into an extraordinary environment of their own imagination, the artists have expanded their collaboration. The witch-wives need only us, the final element, to complete their spell."

"Energy Scaffolds and Information Architecture is the first solo museum exhibition for Louise Despont, an artist best known for using compasses, stencils, and rulers to create intricate and deeply meditative drawings on ledger paper. For Energy Scaffolds and Information Architecture, The Drawing Center has commissioned a new site-specific architectural installation and several series of large-scale drawings that have been influenced by Despont’s recent relocation to Bal

The first architectural enclosure on view, entitled Pure Potential, consists of a wooden façade covered by wooden dowels that create a textured and protective surface. For Despont, the series of eight Pure Potential drawings represent the transition of energy from formlessness into form.

The second architectural space, which is oval in shape, holds a monumental frieze drawing that is sixty feet in length, six feet in height, and composed of seven panels. The drawing depicts the relationship between a material form and a subtle body—the independent entity that manifests through the physical self. For Despont, the drawn lines in each work symbolize the invisible structures, channels, and pathways of energy that flow through and exist in symbiosis with the human body. The seven sections of this monumental work are divided by ten columns, each of which is fitted with a diamond form surrounded by a checkered pattern. The design is inspired by the Balinese kain poleng, a manifestation of sacred balance, while the diamond symbolizes the eye of awareness."
- The Drawing Center

Catch Bigfootone this weekend in Pasadena for his fouth time participating in Designercon. He will be there with shirts, toys, art pieces, skate decks, and more. Open this Saturday and Sunday, November 21st and 22nd. Check Designercon's website for ticket info.